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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27675044">I still like the sound of your voice...</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magentas_Nightmare/pseuds/Magentas_Nightmare'>Magentas_Nightmare</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Walking Dead &amp; Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Merle and Carol, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oneshot, Smut, ZA</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:08:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,214</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27675044</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magentas_Nightmare/pseuds/Magentas_Nightmare</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Merle is hanging onto a night when he shared a moment with Carol, a moment that made him ache for more with her...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Merle Dixon/Carol Peletier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I still like the sound of your voice...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>I still like the sound of your voice...</b>
  </p>
</blockquote><p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>July was hell and August would be even worse. Tensions were high and they all knew that a final showdown with the Governor was on the horizon. The last thing Merle should have had on his mind was a woman, but it was beyond his control now. He watched the back and forth daily between Daryl and Carol and couldn't understand why the hell they wouldn't just put him out of his misery. They looked like a couple, but to his knowledge, they weren't officially anything romantic. If she was happily in the arms of his brother, he could finally let it go, but as it stood he still felt like there was hope.</p>
<p>Merle couldn't stop thinking back to that one night at the quarry, that one little spark between them. Maybe she had forgotten it by now, but he could never pretend it didn't happen.</p>
<p>/</p>
<p>She was down by the water still scrubbing her husband's clothes after dark when he came upon her that night. He was just looking for a place to sip a little whiskey in peace and hadn't been expecting to see anyone.</p>
<p>“What you doin' out here still working so late?”</p>
<p>“No choice,” she sighed and then kept her eyes on him as he came to sit nearby on a large boulder.</p>
<p>“You shouldn't be out here alone,” he said.</p>
<p>“I need to get this done or there'll be hell to pay in the morning.”</p>
<p>“Why do you still put up with him?”</p>
<p>“I don't know how to get away from him, he's Sophia's father and he'd kill me if I tried to leave.”</p>
<p>Merle eyed her slender neck and the curve of her hips. She had a very nice body and such a pretty face that he found himself thinking about her a lot when he was alone. Her bright blue eyes got to him most though, her eyes could get him to tell her anything.</p>
<p>“What if someone took care of him for you?” he broached.</p>
<p>Would he actually kill her husband? You're Goddamn right he would.</p>
<p>“Merle...what are you saying?”</p>
<p>Her eyes pulled the unabashed truth from him with ease.</p>
<p>“I'm saying that I'd drop him dead in a heartbeat if you asked me to.”</p>
<p>Her eyes went wide but she didn't look offended or upset by his words.</p>
<p>“Why would you do that for me?”</p>
<p>“Cause I want you to be happy...cause every time I can see that he's laid a hand on you in anger I wanna break his neck.”</p>
<p>“You do?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I do. Just tell me to do it and I will. You don't have to live like this anymore...the world is different now.”</p>
<p>“Merle...I...”</p>
<p>“It's OK. I just want you to know that I would do it. Let me know if you change your mind.”</p>
<p>“I just need to think about it. I just can't believe that you'd do something like that for me...you hardly ever talk to me. I didn't even think you noticed me.”</p>
<p>“I don't wanna make any waves for you, that's why I don't start conversations, but I definitely notice you,” he said.</p>
<p>She came to a standing position slowly then and it was only the two of them in all the world for a moment. She pulled the clothing she'd scrubbed from the water and began to wring them out.</p>
<p>“I really will think about it, I just can't answer something like that so quickly,” she explained.</p>
<p>“No pressure, just gimme a nod if you decide it's what you want. He won't feel a thing, he won't even know it happened, I can promise you that...but you and your girl will be free.”</p>
<p>She placed the clothing in a basket and set it on a flat rock by the water to approach him then and she came so close to him that he could almost feel the warmth of her.</p>
<p>“I appreciate this, Merle...I think I may have read you wrong.”</p>
<p>“You wouldn't be the first, I know how I come across to people,” he shrugged.</p>
<p>She looked up at him as if very deep in thought and she touched his face softly.</p>
<p>“I can't speak to men around him, so I never had a chance to say this...but I like the sound of your voice and you look really handsome when you smile.”</p>
<p>He was struck by it, the idea that Carol had any nice thoughts about him at all. He felt like anything was possible like he had a shot regardless of how remote.</p>
<p>“There's plenty I could say to you if he weren't around too,” he said.</p>
<p>“Such as?” she asked in a sultry little voice.</p>
<p>“I think you're gorgeous and you don't even have to try. I wanna get rid of your man so I can have you for myself.”</p>
<p>She was overwhelmed, and it was far too soon to say such a thing but he may never get another chance with Ed always around. It wasn’t a world for slow, sweet romancing. If you wanted someone, you just had to say so.</p>
<p>“Merle...”</p>
<p>“Shhh...don't ruin it with reality, honey. I know this is so much more complicated than I'm making it out to be. I just wanted you to know. Don't say anything now, just let me believe you'll consider it.”</p>
<p>She nodded and then moved in to hug him for a moment that lingered long enough to leave a scar and then she was gone.</p>
<p>Ed was killed a few days later in an attack from a walker herd and the group was separated in the fallout.</p>
<p>/</p>
<p>Merle had only just found his way back to the group at the prison. They'd all been separated for almost an entire year and to see them all now was strange. He'd been snatched up off the road by the Governor's men after the quarry was attacked and been hanging his hat at Woodbury all the while hoping to find Daryl again.</p>
<p>Now that he was back with most of the original group, he could see that there was something between his brother and Carol but he didn't know exactly what it was. He wished that he didn't still want her, but he did, and it was clear from the first conversation after finding her again.</p>
<p>“Carol, I'm so sorry about Sophia.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Merle...we did everything we could to find her. Daryl searched non-stop, but she was already gone.”</p>
<p>“Daryl's a good man. I know he woulda done all he could,” Merle nodded. “Still, I'm so sorry.”</p>
<p>“I'm glad you're back, I know it means everything to Daryl.”</p>
<p>“Thanks...I don't think everyone is happy to see me, but I'm glad that you are.”</p>
<p>Carol was harder to read than before and he felt like that spark from before was likely gone now. If she was meant to be with Daryl, he would accept it but he still had those same feelings from back at the quarry and he probably always would.</p>
<p>It was two weeks into his time at the prison when he finally got scheduled with Carol for watch and he couldn't help looking forward to it. Every day he watched as Daryl spent time with Carol and how they laughed and chatted with each other, it was agony but all he could do was watch and stay silent. A smarter man would have pushed the idea of being with her to the very back of his mind, but she still held all his attention and it was even stronger than before.</p>
<p>Merle took extra time to wash up before meeting Carol in the tower for watch and tried to think of how to keep it casual while all he could think of was that one hug from ages ago. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable and had decided not to press her about anything when it was clear that she may have something going on with Daryl. Perhaps he could have just asked Daryl, but he didn't want to reveal his hand to anyone.</p>
<p>When darkness fell, he headed over to the tower with a determined spirit and a heavy heart, a heart that only wanted her. He knocked on the door at the top of the tower when he could tell that she was already there by the light shining under the door.</p>
<p>“Come in,” she called.</p>
<p>“Hey,” he said as he stepped into the compact space of 8 feet by 10 feet and sat down against the wall.</p>
<p>Carol was already seated in the chair where a person could see the entire front perimeter out the windows and he presumed they'd switch places in a while. He had been on watch with Sasha, Rick, and Daryl a few times and that's how they always did things. This was the first time they'd be alone for any length of time and all he could think of was that night down at the water.</p>
<p>“Rick thought he saw light last night to the north so he said to keep an eye out for that,” she noted.</p>
<p>“Will do. I can do a perimeter check on foot a couple of times tonight.”</p>
<p>“Good idea.”</p>
<p>He nodded again and was happy enough to be sharing friendly conversation, but there were things he wished he could know. Like if they hadn't been separated at the quarry, would she have given him a shot with her? Did she think of him at all anymore? Was she in love with Daryl?</p>
<p>He pulled his flask from his jacket pocket and took a long draw of Tennessee whiskey to calm his nerves and offered her a sip, which she accepted.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” she smiled.</p>
<p>“What's mine is yours, honey,” he said.</p>
<p>“I still can't believe you're back...I never thought I'd see you again.”</p>
<p>“That makes two of us,” he said. “I was really happy to see that you were alive.”</p>
<p>“You know, the night that Ed was killed, I was on my way to tell you yes about your offer.”</p>
<p>“Are you serious?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that's the only reason I wasn't in the tent with him when he was attacked. I was on my way to see you. Sophia was in the camper with Amy and Andrea that night.”</p>
<p>“I woulda done it for you, you know that,” he said.</p>
<p>She took a moment to look at him then and he could feel something, a little sensation like maybe it was still there. He had to know and he couldn't wait.</p>
<p>“Are you in love with Daryl?”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“I know it ain't my business, I know that but I see you two together and it feels like there's something between you. If you and him are together, I won't ever say another word about it, I just need to know.”</p>
<p>“We're friends, that's all.”</p>
<p>“It just looks so much like there's more there.”</p>
<p>“We are very close, we've been through a lot together in the last year, especially when I lost Sophia. We did try taking it to the next step once, but it's just not us. We do love each other, but only as good friends.”</p>
<p>Merle felt like he could breathe again. One hurdle cleared, now he just needed to know if she had any kind of feelings for him. It was one thing to say a man had a handsome smile, what he wanted with her was much more than little compliments. He wanted her for life.</p>
<p>“You know I never stopped wanting you, Carol, not for one minute since I last saw you. I ain't been with anyone this whole time, I didn't even look and Woodbury was full of women. I still just want you."</p>
<p>“Merle...”</p>
<p>He took a step toward her, he had to, he had to try cause he'd waited for what felt like forever.</p>
<p>“You could do better, we both know that, but nobody could need you like I do.”</p>
<p>“Show me.”</p>
<p>“Huh?”</p>
<p>“Show me how badly you need me,” she said.</p>
<p>He paused only long enough to see a flash of lust in her eyes and then he knew it was on. He hadn't been laid in so long that he forgot how incredible it felt. He needed a good reminder.</p>
<p>He had the go-ahead so he just grabbed her and did just as she asked him to. Merle planned to show her in no uncertain terms exactly how much he needed her.</p>
<p>There was nothing for space in the tower except for a chair, a desk, and enough floor space to lay down. He scooped her up before he could make a real plan and sat her down on the edge of the desk, forcing himself between her thighs and taking her mouth with his own. The time they'd been apart no longer mattered. Everything he experienced at Woodbury and everything he wished he could forget was nothing to him then. Nothing mattered now, because in her arms he was whole again, he was pure again.</p>
<p>He held her face in his hands and filled her mouth with his tongue, and the faint hint of whiskey in their mouths made it the most delicious kiss on Earth. He became breathless fast and pulled her tight against him so she could feel how crazy she had already made him. He was hard as granite and thirsty for it.</p>
<p>“Jesus,” she panted as he slid his hand under the back of her shirt to feel her skin. “You're a wild man.”</p>
<p>“I told you I needed you and I meant it...too much?”</p>
<p>“No, don't stop. I like it.”</p>
<p>He grinned then and pulled her shirt over her head to bury his kisses between her breasts. She held his head against her body and wrapped her legs around his waist. Merle was in heaven and already so close to losing it. He needed to get her off and then he needed to get inside her. It was crude, but the world was a crude place now. He needed her marked as his own, the deal had to be sealed. He couldn't leave it up in the air in any way. He had to be her man.</p>
<p>He thrust against her, still holding her tight against him, and unfastened her bra to get even more of her skin to himself.</p>
<p>“Fuckin' hell,” he moaned.</p>
<p>He was starting to think he'd never see or touch breasts again and Carol was fine as hell in that department. He bowed down to taste her skin and lick slow evil circles around each nipple, teasing her out of her mind.</p>
<p>“You're bad...but I knew you would be,” she purred.</p>
<p>“Don't you worry, honey. I'll give you everything you need, all in good time.”</p>
<p>She lay back on the desk then as if it was all too much and his hands moved up and down her thighs as he admired her topless form. He ran his hand down from her belly to the heat between her legs and she whined softly with her eyes closed.</p>
<p>“I wanna make you cum, Carol. Tell me you want me to.”</p>
<p>“You know...I still like the sound of your voice...especially now that you're talking so dirty to me,” she panted.</p>
<p>He smirked and made fast work of stripping off her pants. He slid the chair over to the desk with the toe of his boot and seated himself at the desk where her legs were dangling off the edge. He was so worked up, he almost said to hell with it and just fucked her right there but he needed to show her that he was her man first, show her he was the one to take her right over the edge.</p>
<p>He pulled her thighs over his shoulders and began to tease his lips up and down the crotch of her panties, feeling the cool damp sensation of wet silk against his mouth.</p>
<p>“You must be Satan himself,” she cried. “Please...hurry.”</p>
<p>Merle slid the fabric to the side finally and almost died at the sweet sight of flushed pink lips glistening in the dim light of the tower. He got right to work, sliding his tongue between slippery wet folds and urging her closer with his lips closing around her clit.</p>
<p>She was nonsensical with her whining and moaning and he loved that. It sounded like she was beyond control.</p>
<p>He slid two fingers inside her and she groaned deep in her chest at the sweet internal pressure. He was getting her there and it was just a matter of hitting the right triggers at once. He fingered her for a moment longer and then reached his arms up between her legs to lightly pinch both nipples as he sucked her clit in a lazy rhythm that left her boneless.</p>
<p>“Fuck! Oh fuck! Mmmmm....fuuuuuuuck!” she gasped over and over as she rode it out.</p>
<p>He yanked off his shirt then and by the time he was ready to work on his belt, she was already sitting up and doing it herself.</p>
<p>“I need it. Right now,” she said plainly.</p>
<p>“You got it.”</p>
<p>Merle pushed his pants down swiftly when she finished with his belt and her eyes drank in the nine inches of heat he was packing. His cock was only hard for her and her alone.</p>
<p>"Lay back and hang onto something,” he winked.</p>
<p>She gripped the windowsill with both hands as he lifted her ankles up onto his shoulders and slid himself inside her.</p>
<p>She whined like he was stealing her innocence but was very soon begging him to never stop.</p>
<p>“You fuck me so good, baby...damn, that's so good.”</p>
<p>“I'm gonna give it to you daily if you want it, Carol. I'll fuck you this good every time you ask me to.”</p>
<p>It felt ridiculously good and after about 5 minutes he was done and she proceeded to push him over the top. Carol set her heels on the edge of the desk then and let her knees fall open as he watched his cock disappearing inside her over and over again.</p>
<p>“Fuckin' hell, woman. I can't take this much longer!” he growled.</p>
<p>“Then cum for me, Merle...cum all over me. Make me yours.”</p>
<p>Her voice was a silky ribbon wrapping around his neck and forcing him to surrender.</p>
<p>Merle pulled out and came all over her soft belly in an explosion of desire that would never be bested.</p>
<p>/</p>
<p>“I thought maybe you were over it,” she said finally.</p>
<p>“Huh? Sorry, I'm still not thinking right.”</p>
<p>They'd been laying on the floor of the tower for ten minutes in silence when she finally spoke.</p>
<p>“I was thinking of talking to you, to see if you still felt the same, but I was too anxious that maybe you didn't,” she explained.</p>
<p>“I wanted you right from the start, and that's never gonna change.”</p>
<p>“It's a shame that we lost all that time,” she sighed.</p>
<p>“I'm more than happy to put in extra hours to make up for it,” he chuckled.</p>
<p>“You're a goof, Merle,” she smiled and yawned.</p>
<p>“As long as I'm your goof I can live with that.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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